Creating Search Boxes  

Research Databases

• EBSCOhost
• ProQuest
• Gale
• JSTOR
• Oxford Reference
• Web of Science
• Reference Universe

Tell us about it! Use the link below to submit a link to the vendor's search widget setup page, and we'll include it here for the world to see!

• IEEE Xplore by Sue Smith
  Interdisciplinary database

Submit a Link

What is a Search Box Widget?

Many database vendors have created “cut and paste” code which can be added to a webpage, creating a search box targeting their databases. You may set up single or multiple targets from each vendor. For example, you may wish to have students search a combination of Academic Search Premier and PsycINFO.

 Why would I include this on a LibGuide?

You can recommend and direct students and patrons to one or more databases relevant to your LibGuide topic, without having to redirect to another page. The search box widgets bring the databases to “where the students” are, rather than having to negotiate through the library’s pages.

These search boxes also work well in course management systems, such as Blackboard, Moodle, and others.

 Can I reuse search boxes in my guides?

Yes! That's really the best thing to do. :)

One option is to create a guide (that remains unpublished or private) that has all of the search boxes you use throughout your guides. Then you can use the "Link to another box in the system" function when adding new boxes to link directly to the search box on that guide. If you ever need to update the code, you'll only need to update it in one place!

Here are the latest questions added to the Catalog / Database Integration topic in the GuideFAQ:

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Many thanks to Patti Wilson and Diane Cruickshank, the librarians who originally created, organized, and continue to maintain this guide for University of the Fraser Valley. We've copied that content for this guide; you can also view the original in all its glory.